The Zone: Natalie Isaacs

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Many people are concerned the government's abolition of carbon pricing, and its climate change direct action plan, the cornerstone of which is to pay companies to cut pollution, threatens Australia's progress in cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

But there is another direct action plan happening at a grassroots level that has the potential to mitigate the damage it is feared the Coalition's policy might cause.

Women make about 70 per cent of household spending decisions, and so have a profound influence on the nation's carbon footprint. That financial clout underpins the organisation founded by today's guest in The Zone.

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Natalie Isaacs is an unlikely activist. She spent nearly a quarter of a century contributing to the emissions problem by creating overpackaged cosmetics and doing absolutely nothing at a personal or business level to reduce her greenhouse gas emissions.

But back in 2006, she had what she describes as an epiphany, a conviction that she had a responsibility to act, and indeed, that everyone can and should ''do their bit''.

She educated herself about climate change and global warming, and in 2009 set up 1 Million Women.

''People as individuals and as a collective have incredible power to make change. It actually is about the power of the people. That is how change is really going to happen.

''And I know it sounds really simple; you know, turn off the lights or think about the way that you spend your money, but let me tell you it really does make a difference if 1 million people do it or whole communities do it. It makes an enormous difference. It actually transforms society.''

Isaacs found there was a lack of online or community resources to help concerned women reduce their impact on the environment.

''There was something missing for me … a real empty hole there, and that was a movement that spoke to women, that harnessed the strengths of women, that utilised the power of women.

''We are people with enormous power as consumers. We're natural networkers. 1 Million Women is actually not a campaign. It's a community of women sharing stories, sharing solutions, sharing challenges. When you join 1 Million Women you join this community of support and find out how to live a way of life that cuts pollution, that reduces waste, that saves money, that directly impacts this crisis of climate change.''

When women register, free of charge, on the site, they are provided with a raft of measures to immediately reduce greenhouse gas emissions. So far, about 83,000 women have joined, and the organisation also has a Facebook page with 45,000 members. About 12,000 women have taken part in seminars and other events organised by 1 Million Women.

The target is for each woman to cut a tonne of greenhouse emissions within a year. They are shown how to do this through energy use, purchasing decisions, food selection, building and home maintenance methods, transport and strategies. The site calculates how much each measure cuts from a household's emissions.

Some examples of easy changes are:

■ Say ''NO'' to wasteful packaging, plastic bags and bottled water.

■ Turn your garden bed into a mini-farm to grow your own food.

■ Ditch the second fridge to cut back on electricity consumption.

■ Install low-energy lights wherever you can.

■ Wash clothes in cold water and dry on the clothes line.

■ Turn heaters and airconditioners down.

■ Do shopper research on carbon footprint before you buy.

■ Generate your own solar electricity at home.

■ Purchase Green Power.

■ Switch to public transport for 10km or more every week.

■ When buying a new car make fuel efficiency a top priority.

■ Use tele- or video-conferencing to cut out work-related car trips.

■ Reduce what you buy and always ask: Do I really need this?

■ Reuse everything you can and save money by avoiding overconsumption.

The beauty of 1 Million Women is the ease, simplicity and immediate effect of the measures. Isaacs found she was able to cut her electricity bill by 20 per cent merely by installing low-energy light bulbs and turning off lights and appliances.

''It was the most incredible sense of empowerment, because I actually did something that had a real result. There is nothing like that kind of action to create behaviour change.''

It also triggered a realisation there must be many women who were disconnected from climate change - because they were busy, or overwhelmed by the magnitude of the problem or simply did not understand the situation.

''1 Million Women is about engaging, it's about inspiring, it's about empowering and it's about motivating, but most importantly it is about mobilising women to take practical action in their lives - through the way that we live, through the choices we make and the way that we spend our money. It's about taking practical action on climate change.

''My journey was so simple. I am not a climate activist. I am not a climate scientist. I am just another member of society. And I had the ability, through one simple action, to be able to completely change my life.''

That change has propelled Isaacs onto the global stage. Last weekend, she was the sole Australian invited to the International Women's Earth and Climate Summit in New York, a gathering of 100 high-profile women who are putting together a global blueprint to help women reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

There has been much progress upon which to build. A recent report, Tracking Progress Towards A Low Carbon Economy, by independent not-for-profit research organisation ClimateWorks Australia, a joint-venture between The Myer Foundation and Monash University, found:

■ Emissions from power generation have fallen by 13 per cent in the past four years.

■ Big industrial companies have in the past four years cut energy consumption by the equivalent of that used by 800,000 households in a year. Between 2008 and last year, the amount of off-grid electricity companies generated, primarily through gas, which has lower emissions than coal, rose by almost 60 per cent.

■ As many as 1 million homes, or one in 10, have solar panels, and new offices these days use a third less energy than was the case a decade ago.

■ In the past three years, the amount of energy needed to heat and cool a new home has fallen by almost a fifth.

■ Electricity generation by renewable sources (primarily wind, solar and hydro) has grown by two-thirds in the past decade, while generation by gas doubled. Wind generation makes up almost a third of all renewable generation, sufficient to power 1 million homes.

Isaacs stresses 1 Million Women is apolitical in its efforts to further such changes. She recognises the need for lobbying and praises policy-focused organisations, but created her venture to focus on the practical, rather than the political.

''Everybody needs to take responsibility and ownership of this critical issue. Everyone. We all have to do what we can. It has to be this holistic approach; it has to be from governments down and from grassroots up.''

She urges those who feel they are participating meaningfully by signing online petitions and the like - activities sometimes referred to a ''slacktivism'' or ''clicktivism'' - to be truly active.

''There seems to be this complacency, all this armchair activism going on; because of the internet and because of all the incredible easy access to social media platforms, you can feel like you are doing your bit … by saying ''yes I want to support the Barrier Reef'' and so you tick a box, or ''yes I am going to send a letter to a politician'' and somebody has written the letter in the field and all you have to do is put your name.

''It is this kind of approach where you almost feel 'I am doing my bit for the environment because I am supporting somebody else doing the work'.''

Isaacs is spurred by being the mother of four; she believes taking action on climate change is a moral responsibility to the next generations.

And she is ambitious. Not only is she driven to reach her target of 1 million members, she wants to take her movement overseas - and sees the New York trip, during which she gave a speech, as a breakthrough.

She is yet another example of community leadership; people act, innovate and find solutions while policymakers, necessarily, grapple with challenging domestic and global politics. The 1 Million Women story buttresses the notion that there is no omnipotent, benevolent ''them'' out there to solve our problems; there is only us.

''I created 1 Million Women out of my own story, because, for me, up until the middle of 2006, I was nowhere in my own climate change journey. I had my head buried in the sand and went along thinking one person cannot make a difference, so why bother. And I actually think that is really a very common way of thinking.''

20 comments

A bold move, well motivates and with the potential to be most influential as concerned women weigh on on the looming climatic crisis.

Commenter

lecoor

Location

Kimberley

Date and time

September 24, 2013, 7:01AM

Great initiative too save the household budget, will enable more spending out there in the community with more disposable income. Not sure it will have an effect on Climate, sad really I dont think Australians realize how insignificant we are in the world stage. Our population is a fraction more than the greater New York area. And being involved in the fuel industry know that we use slightly less fuel as a nation than New York!!When you put it in perspective you and start looking at not only USA, but China with ALMOST 1000 X our population YES 1000 X and India with 600 x our population. Our 23 million is insignificant. And even though we may get a good touchy feeling that we are doing our bit, the best thing we will be doing is saving ourselves money by utilizing theses initiatives.Only trouble is what we do with the savings we make and what we spend it on? More stuff manufactured overseas?

Commenter

STEVE

Location

QLD

Date and time

September 24, 2013, 8:44AM

Thanks for your comment Steve, Australia isn't insignificant. We are the largest exporters of coal in the world. 90% infact gets exported. If all the coal under the ground in Australia was dug up and shipped across the world it would be a catastrophe.And we have incredible power as consumers through our everyday purchasing decisions. Every dollar we spend has an impact on the planet. The answer is buy less, buy better quality and do everything possible to buy Australian made.

Commenter

natalie.isaacs

Date and time

September 24, 2013, 11:45AM

Totally agree Natalie, I always try and buy Australian, and it was our population I mentioned as insignificant. Compared to many other nations.And yes we do mine our coal and export it to counties like China that burn it, and we are the largest exporters however it creates thousands of jobs and earns billions of tax dollars that pay for our health education roads etc. Its a catch 22 Nat, problem is if we did stop exporting coal then someone else would supply it, there are huge reserves in South America, Africa etc. Women can influence yes, but at what cost. There is always a cost and its usually our public sector. There has to be a happy medium. Understanding the pros and cons of 'Climate Change' is complex to say the least. Only recently a report on the largest network of wind mills and solar panels in Europe, in Germany has shown the Government cannot support the rebates associated with these energy sources. The windmills are killing thousand of birds, and they are now saying that the forecast temp increases are significantly less than expected. Nuclear energy is the cleanest and most cost effective, however that starts another debate. I would like to say that if it wasnt for our mineral wealth, our way of life would be at a considerably lower standard than we enjoy now. The mining industry is still responsible for around $40-45billion for the taxman! thats a lot of education, health roads etc.

Commenter

STEVE

Location

QLD

Date and time

September 24, 2013, 12:31PM

Global warming will only be catastrophic if we do nothing. Steve wants us to do next to nothing on the pretext of saving the economy and existing jobs. But technology has always seen the growth and death of various sectors of the economy. Tractors all but eliminated horses and oxen as beasts of burden. We survived, despite people like Steve trying to hold back progress.I'm reminded of a colleague who drove change in agriculture, but then after a few years became locked into the idea that no further changes were necessary. So he spent the rest of his career trying to stop others from driving change. Open that mine Steve.

Commenter

bg2

Date and time

September 24, 2013, 4:31PM

And get the kids on board so they feel like they have some control over this sorry situation we are creating for them. They keep hearing about how things are doomed for their generation. Better learning to be had in working towards change. Good idea for all of us. No point sitting in a sinking ship feeling sorry for ourselves. Start bailing. Even if you can't get all the water out I reckon the waiting won't feel so bad.

Commenter

Brad

Date and time

September 24, 2013, 9:02AM

yes absolutely Brad. Its key we don't come from a position of doom and gloom even though we are in a climate crisis. We need to empower people, particularly our youth. We need to show hope and give real and practical solutions for action. Once you start acting on this and see results you will change the way you live. Its a critical time and action needs to happen from every part of society. From Governments down and grassroots up.

Commenter

natalie.isaacs

Date and time

September 24, 2013, 11:49AM

The thing to do is keep it simple, and achievable. The less they have to research and figure out for themselves the better and easier.

For example, I don't buy anything in a can, not drinks, not food, not anything.

No cans.

Imagine if a million women stopped buying cans! That would have impact.

Commenter

sarajane

Location

melbourne

Date and time

September 24, 2013, 9:12AM

Unfortunately no impact Sara, maybe some folk may lose their jobs in OZ, But the cans are recyclable anyway, and are much better than plastic, and store food better! As for the sorry situation we are supposedly making for our kids, I think there are a lot more dangerous things out there now we should be sorry for. The internet for one, Smartphones, internet bullying. Far more serious than the so called climate change story. Have any of you ever wondered what an increase in temp would do for Europe, especially the colder Northern countries where a bulk of the population lives. Simply extend their growing season and creat new food bowls!! Thats if the Earth does warm,

Commenter

STEVE

Location

QLD

Date and time

September 24, 2013, 9:59AM

Thanks Sara Jane, we are with you. If a million women told a million more and could lead a million communities into action just think what change we could make. For 1 Million Women the key is to reach women that aren't engaged on this issue yet and for that we need to find all sorts of entry levels.